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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Is The Cameroon President Right to have Ordered Pentecostal churches closed?

On August 14, 2013, CNN published an article stating that Cameroon lifetime president, Paul Biya had ordered 100
Christian churches in key cities to be closed down, citing criminal practices
organized by Pentecostal pastors. It has surprised me to see that the big Pentecostal
churches did not come out to denounce the decision of the president. Initially,
I thought that he was right, but when I was writing an answer for another
question, the Lord told me that he was wrong. Actually, this act will
precipitate his fall. The question falls into three angles: Cameroon constitution, international human
rights and isagogics. It is a violation of basic human rights and an ungodly
act.

How do the practices of the pastors
create criminal behavior? Do pastors now have their own criminal code? Shouldn’t
they be tried just like every other criminal if they committed a crime? Cameroonians
should fear Biya and not the Pentecostal churches.Under him the currency has been devalued at least twice. The parastatals
collapsed like a row of dominoes to about 5 despite inheriting 219 upon his
ascension. Cameroon is the 5th oil producer of Sub-Sahara Africa producing
about 100,000 barrels a day in 1999and the producer of the best cocoa and
Arabic coffee. The economic collapse caused brain drain. The Gross Domestic
Product Tax revenue-(GDP) has instead dropped drastically from 25.5
% to 12.5 % due to corruption. As of December 31, 2010, Cameroon
owes $3, 344,000000 . The standard of living has fallen lower than even
the 60s, and the death rate has skyrocketed due to diseases. 4 out of 10 people
live below the poverty line (Transparency international 2007). Under Biya,
retirees have not been able to claim their benefits. Consumer debt has skyrocketed.

The government of Biya that ran on the platform of “Rigor and Moralization” has
survived on rogue immorlisation under another Machiavellic platform called
Operation Sparrow Hawk through which Biya eliminated dissention within and
without his own party and amended the constitution to suit his whims and
caprices of an eternal monarch in Cameroon. During student protests of 2008, university
students were shot with live bullets; some execution style. More than 200
people lost their lives. Unemployment is more than 14% in Cameroon. It was Biya
who killed Bibi Ngota and imprisoned Lapiro De Mbanga, Mboa Massock and not the
Pentecostal churches.This is Cameroon's report card under Biya.

The move is more about suppressing free
speech than security motivated because he realized that the pastors are brazenly
speaking out against government and in return is becoming very uncomfortable. Mr.
Mbu Anthony Lang, a government official in Bamenda, told CNN that the pastors, “have
outstretched their liberty.” This is at variance with the Cameroon Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion and worship.

Those who complain that their relatives
have run away from the traditional churches into the Pentecostal churches have themselves
to blame for living an empty and dead gospel. How is that the problem of the churches?
It even shows that the said individuals do not understand the scripture. They
should not be siding with the government; they should side with the Christians.

The fact that one’s marriage went kaput
because of some ill advice from a pastor, or just because a pastor has convinced
his myrmidons not to seek medical treatment does not necessitate a closure of
any church nor should the Pentecostals be held liable. Why did
they not close down the Catholic Church after the child abuse by numerous
priests and bishops?I guess, every school where a teacher or principal has committed a crime should be closed down. Because some doctors have molested their patients, the government should shut down the hospitals. What about closing down the law chambers since many lawyers have swindled from their clients? That is a noble idea!

Boniface
Tum, a bishop of the Christian Church of God in Yaounde, said that Biya, who
has been president since 1982, is becoming insecure about the freedom of speech
within these churches. It is clear that it is not for the security of the
people; it is a repression of free speech.

The Pentecostals are a religious minorities
who are being denied the right to assemble with other community members of
their group to profess and practice their own religion. It is the
responsibility of the Biya government to protect the existence of the different
religions in other to promote individual identities. Thus, these current legislatures and all the measures undertaken by the government to close down churches,
violate the religious rights of the Pentecostal Christians. The nonmembers just
have to respect the rights of those practicing the religion in order to grant
full equality to every other worshiper of whatever religion.

Seeing that the government of Ahidjo and
Biya has failed to ensure the religious and moral education of the children in
conformity with their own convictions, the Pentecostal become the substitute
reformers. The Pentecostal Christians have the right to organize their family
life according to their belief. Those who disagree with them, should not
attend, but the government has no right to close down their churches and hunt down
their members.

Paul Biya in closing down the Pentecostal
churches creates a copyright on Christianity; a practice that Jesus himself
had denied his disciples. (Lk 9:50; Mk 9:37-40; Mk 9:38-41; Luke 11:23). Those who were preaching on the other side were not their enemies,
rather the exorcists. Although those who were on the other side were operating differently
from the disciples, but at least they believed in Christ, were casting out demons in
the name of Jesus and liberating the people; a cause for which Christ came. Thus,
they were fighting the same good fight of faith. Looking at those verses, the Pentecostals,
Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians and Lutherans should not muzzle their mouths
because sooner or laterRev. Martin Niemoeller’s words will come true:

They came first for the Communists, and I didn't
speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I
didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for
the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. And then they
came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.

If
Biya himself was a Bible reading Christian, he would have taken the sage counsel
of Gamaliel:

Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if
this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of
God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”
(Acts
5: 38-39).

It
is preposterous for Biya to pretend that he is practicing the word of God
because although the Bible requires false prophets to be killed (Ex 22:20: I kings
18:40), these are not all false prophets. If they are con artists, they should be
charged for con artistry but if they are merely the wrong prophet or heretic,
there is no such prescription as banning the church. Listen to this:

“States shall prohibit
by law any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes
incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence” (ICCPR, Art. 20).”
Isn’t this the total opposite of the Biya’s regime?

It is a total violation of Articles 2
and 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Biya’s act defies the 1998
International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). Thus, I call upon U.S. Commission
on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the UN Commission for Human
Rights to take into consideration the rights of the Pentecostal Christians. His
act is borderline persecution, so I appeal to Pentecostal Christians everywhere
to resist even with their lives. Whether you are a Pentecostal Christian or
not; it is a violation of their religious rights, and in the 21st Century,
such an abuse should not go unpunished.

Until
then, Biya cannot kick against the pricks.

St
Arrey of Ntenako.

“Bonyfish beware because the same net that caught the jawless fish, caught the cartilaginous fish” (Hamilton Ayuk).
Beware earthly paradise seekers because there is a serpent in every paradise"(Hamilton Ayuk).
"It is not how well you know a person; it is how well you treat them that they will live longer and happier with you."
Idle people write, idler people read, and idlest people read and whine that idle people are taking their time (Hamilton Ayuk).

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